INQUEST AT LYTTELTON.

Press, Volume XXIII, Issue 3058, 10 June 1875, Page 3

INQUEST AT LYTTELTON.

An inquest was held at the Saxon Hotel, Lyttelton, yesterday afternoon, on the body of a man named Robert Edis Protheroe, before Dr Coward, coroner, Mr Charles Murray was chosen foreman of the jury. The body having been viewed, the following evidence was taken :—- Mary Ann Beverly sworn, said—l am licensee of the Saxon Hotel. The deceased has been stopping in my house six weeks; he was staying with mc on the evening of the 7th. He asked mc for Is that evening to go to the chemist. I gave it to him and he left the house. He was quite Bober then ; I did not see him afterwards. Since he has been in my house he has been addicted to drink; for the last few days he has eaten very little. The bottles produced were found in his room, they belonged to him. ' Francis Sanderson sworn, said — I am cook at this hotel. I knew deceased. I slept in the same room with him for the last three weeks. I remember the evening of the 7tb. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon he was lying on his bed, he was then asleep. I did not see j him again till ten minutes or a quarter-past | nine. I was then in bed in my room and ; heard a groan. I did not then get up, but on hearing a second groan I got up and opened the window, and as I did, I heard a third groan. I called out, " Who is there," but got no answer. I stood on the chair for a few minutes looking out of the window, and then I heard a gurgling noise. I then put on my clothes and came down, and going outside into the passage between the hotel and Mr Ayers shop I saw deceased lying down under the window, with his face turned to the wall. I came in and said I thought it was Bob, the name by which we knew him, and I got some men to carry him hi, and I then saw it was Bob; he appeared to mc to be dead. Dr McDonald was then sent for. I have never seen deceased incapable from drink, hut lately he has been very restless, reading and smoking at iv*

, tervals during the nieht. On Sanday night, he told mc he had taken some opium, but he did not think it would u-. ke him sleep; h« said he believed it wa; do .- / U i<i narna, but he had to rest, and so he take it. I once saw him take a rwl inixturv, about a fortnight ago, but 1.-itterly he has taken a white mixture like water. Hugh McDonald, sworn, said — I am a medical practitioner. I was called to see this man at twenty-five minutes past nine on Monday night; he was dead when I came. I know nothing of deceased's habits latterly, but three weeks ago, he consulted mc, saying he had been drinking heavily, and could not sleep. I then prescribed thirty grains of chloral and fifteen minims of solution of muriate of morphia. I ascertained afterwards it did not produce sleep, and advised deceased to leave off drinking and take nourishment. I have not seen him alive since. When I was called to the body, the pupils of the eyes were dilated; this was on Monday evening. I made a postmortem examination yesterday; there were no marks of violence, but a small bruise on the side of the head. I found on opening the chest the lungs were healthy, but the left was slightly congested at the base, a small quantity of serum in the pericardium, and what I took to be fibrous clot on the auricular ventricular opening of the left side. The stomach was quite empty, and the bowels generally ; bnt there was a great appearance of irritation in the coats of the stomach, which were highly 1 congested all over, and this congestion Beemed to be of some standing; there was no smell. I think the cause of death was the fibrous clot in the heart. He had two scruples of chloral in my dispensary on the 7th at 6 p.m.; he drank it at the dispensary; it was forty grains. I did not prescribe it; he got it. Arthur White Parsons, sworn, said—l knew the deceased. Last week I made him up a draught; it waa on Friday night. I gave him thirty grains of chloral hydrate at 7 p.m. that night. I have given him nothing since then. He was generally half drunk when he came to mc. I have made bim up draughts several times. This concluded the evidence, and the jury returned a verdict of " Death from Natural Causes."